GENI
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Supernatural being (geni)
Occupation: Would-be conqueror
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Claude Hicks
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: An oil lamp
First Appearance: World of Fantasy#16/2 (February, 1959)
Powers/Abilities: The Geni was a malevolent magical entity. The full extent of his powers is unknown, but he could summon lightning bolts, alter his size (from the height of a towering giant, to the tiny proportions of a doll), and assume an ethereal state to fly. When confined inside an ancient oil lamp, he could only be released when someone rubbed the lamp and recited a magical incantation; apparently unable to return to the lamp of his own accord, the Geni could be sent back to confinement by an individual reciting a different incantation. During his last outing on Earth, the Geni was infected with hay fever (see comments) and became highly susceptible to pollen; the effects of the allergic reaction left him in such a state of misery that he was forced to seek the refuge of the lamp.
History:
(World of Fantasy #16/2 (fb) - BTS) - The past of the Geni is unknown, but centuries ago he feared being trapped through his own carelessness, so he began spreading the falsehood that he would bestow three wishes upon anyone who set him free--this was merely a contingency plan in the event that if he were trapped, he could dupe a mortal into releasing him. At some point, the Geni became confined inside an oil lamp under unknown circumstances; the lamp was buried in the desert sands somewhere in the Middle East.
(World of Fantasy #16/2) - In modern times, the lamp was unearthed by Claude Hicks, who followed the legendary instructions to release the supernatural spirit. Arising from the lamp, the evil Geni laughed triumphantly, for a foolish mortal had finally freed him! After demonstrating his powers to Hicks, the Geni boasted that he would conquer the world. But then the gigantic jinn began to continuously sneeze because he had somehow become infected with Hicks' hay fever. Seeking relief from his suffering, the Geni flew to the arctic region to get away from the pollen, but he found the climate too frigid for his comfort; he then flew to a more temperate area, but because of the pollen of the indigenous flora, he was afflicted with watery eyes and itchy skin. Feeling miserable from the allergy symptoms, the Geni had no alternative but to fly back to Hicks and beg to be returned to the lamp, and he revealed the magic word that would send him into confinement. With the Geni once again imprisoned, Hicks dropped the lamp down a deep water-hole.
Comments: Created by an uncredited writer and Steve Ditko (artist).
Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, NOT a contagious disease (for more info, see HERE). So how did the Geni get "infected" from Hicks' allergy? I dunno, maybe when he was released, some mystical quirk created a symbiotic/sympathetic bond between the two.
In regards to the spelling of "Geni"--that's the way it appeared in the title and throughout the story.
And a BIG Thank You to Grendel Prime for the scans!
Profile by John Kaminski.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
The Geni has no known connections to:
Claude Hicks has no known connections to:
Hicks was a history teacher who suffered from hay fever. For years, he studied the legendary myth of a geni trapped in a lamp and believed it had some basis in truth. While vacationing in the Middle East, he unearthed an ancient oil lamp and released the evil Geni within. Hicks was alarmed when he heard the supernatural spirit say he intended to conquer the world, but then the Geni somehow contracted Hicks' hay fever. Unable to cope with the miserable symptoms brought about by the allergy, the Geni begged Hicks to return him to the serenity of the lamp. Hicks later dropped the lamp down a deep water-hole, yet he worried that in the future, someone might find it and release the imprisoned Geni again after a cure for hay fever had been discovered.
--World of Fantasy #16/2
Once buried in the sands of the Middle East, the lamp was the prison of the evil Geni for centuries. It was found by Claude Hicks, who set the Geni free. But the Geni got infected by Hicks' hay fever and thereafter found the world too unpleasant, so he willingly had Hicks return him to the haven of the lamp to escape the torturous allergy. Hicks later dropped the lamp down a deep water-hole in the desert.
--World of Fantasy #16/2
images:
(without ads)
World of Fantasy #16/2, p1, pan4 (main image)
World of Fantasy #16/2, p4, pan5 (headshot)
World of Fantasy #16/2, p3, pan5 (Hicks with Geni on shoulder)
World of Fantasy #16/2, p1, pan1 (oil lamp)
Other Appearances: None
Last updated: 01/17/11
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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